Adjustable coil spring center support



April 29, 1952 E. E. woLLER 2,595,039

ADJUSTABLE COIL SPRING CENTER SUPPORT April 29, 1952 E.. E. woLLl-:R 2,595,039

ADJUSTABLE COIL SPRING CENTER SUPPORT Filed Aug. s, 1948 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 5f g 1-/- a 4 36 7 @JM/@JM Patented Apr. 29, 1952 ADJUSTABLE Coin SPRING CENTER scr-Pom:`

Edward E; Wollen, Kenosha, Wis., assigner to Simmons Company, New York, N. Y1, a corporae` tion of Delaware Application August 3, 1948, Serial No. 42,322

2 Claims. 1

The comfort oiv a bed not infrequently is deter mined by the relationship of the resiliency of the springs whereon the mattress is supported and the weight of the person or persons using thev bed. With persons of somewhat more than average weight` the bed springs of normal resiliency often sag -too much and lessen the chances oicomfortable repose. of greatly varying weight occupy the same bed, the reSliency of the springs may be comfortable to the one but less so to the other. The comfort of a bed also may be correlative with the period' of time the springs and/or the mattress have been in use. Long extended use may result in either the springs or the mattress or both acquiring somewhat of a sag in the medial portion.

The main objects of this invention, therefore, are to` provide an improved form of bed spring whereinthe yielding resistance of the transverse medial portion of the spring may be adjusted; to provide an improved bed-spring adjustingmeans of this kind wherein such adjustment may be effected atwill b-y the user. of the spring without in any way disturbing the bedding; to provide an improved construction and arrangement of spring-adjusting means of this kind whereby the yielding resistance of the transverse medial portion oir a spring on opposite sides of a longitudinal median may be independently altered from either end of the. spring frame; and to provide an improved sprng-adjusting means of this kind' particularly adapted for the type of spring wherein the spring-tensioned and spring-supported, longitudinally-disposed slats are reinforced in the transverse medial portion by a group of coil springs.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is. a plan view oi a bed spring equipped Withan adjustable coil-spring ycenter support embodying,v this invention, portions of the mattressbearingv section being broken away to more clearly indicate therk construction and arrangement of saidV adjustable center support;

`lifigfz is. an end elevation of the same Fig; 3I is areduced side elevation showing the adjustable coil-spring -center support in its normal, untensoned or retracted position;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3 but showing the coil-spring center support in its tensioned or elevated position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail showing one of the cam means in the position which disposes the coil-spring center support in its untensioned position;

Fie. 6 is a similar view but showing the cam Moreover, where personsv 2l .y in the position whichv isposes the coil-spring: center support in its tensioned position;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, end view of` the middle.v portion of this improved spring constructionas it is shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of thecrank used.z for operating the spring tensioning-mechanism.

A bed spring of the type wherewi-th an im. proved,- adjustable, coil-spring center support,r embodying this invention, as best'` adaptedror-use comprises- -a frame l 0 whereon is supportedfa-mate. tress-bearing section or fabric Ii belowthe .trans-aV verse medial portion ofl which a pair ofcoil-sprin-gf center supports i2 are adjustably suspende'dtby` tensioning mechanism I3;

The -frame lioi the bed springvis ay convene tional construction, embodying a pair ofside rails i4, a pair or" end rails l5, and corner risers I6, and whereon is supportedthe mattress-.bearing section Il.

The side rails It are preferably of tubular-form. They are bowed slightly as most clearly shown-ink Figs. 3 and l in order to provide greaterstrength. The end rails 5 are in the formY ofV angle bars and are riveted or otherwise anchored to the upper ends of the risers l5 a plane above the side rails It. Intermedia-te the endsv orf eachiof the side rails is secured a depending bracket H5 which cfs-acts with the risers 16 -inproviding support for the tensioning meansl i3, as willl ap? pear more fully hereinafter. Therisers; H5l are'- likewise oivangle bar construction, being-formed with sockets lil Aat their lower 'ends to receivethe ends of the side rails I4'.

r The mattress-bearing section Hyoomprises a plurality of steell slats or bands l-9-securedto the endV rails by helical springs 2i). Intermediate" the helical springsV 2 9- andr transversely ofy their length Ythe slats are connected together by other small helical springs 2|.

The coil-spring center supportunits I-2ware a common supplement toa mattresslbearing sec tion l I of the form herein shown. Each such support unit l2 comprises a group of coilfsprines 22V supportedon a plurality of vertically-disposed transversely-extending bars 23 securedat l their ends to vertically-disposed', longitudinallyfeitending bars 24. The springs 22 are vertically retained in proper spaced relationship by spacing wires 25, spanning the transverse bars 23, and by links 26, connecting the coils at their upper convolutions with each other and with a retaining border-wire 2'1.

The tensioning mechanism I 3, whereby the supplemental sections l2 are suspended below the medial portion of the mattress-bearing section II transversely thereof, comprises links 28 and eccentric cams 29 rotatably mounted on the frame ends I and operable by a crank 38.

Each of the supplemental coil-spring center units I2 is supported at each end by a pair of links 28 hinged at 28a to the bars 24. At their opposite ends each link is provided with an enlarged extension 3I in each of which is J'ournaled one of the cams 29.

The cams 29 for each pair of links 28 are keyed by pins 32 to a shaft 33 journaled at one end on a riser I6 and at the other end on the bracket I1. The outer end of each shaft 33 extends through a riser I6 and is provided with a pin or key 34 with which the crank 30 cooperates in rotating the shaft 33 to adjust the respective coil-spring center support I2.

A stop 35 is fixed` on each riser I6 below the axis of the shaft 33 so as to be engaged by the adjacent link extension 3I, said extension having a notch 3Ia which seats itself on the stop. The stop 35 is so positioned that it arrests rotation of the cams 29 when the journal axis of the respective cams and link extensions 3I has passed below the plane of the axes of the shaft 33 and the hinge connection 28a of the links 28 to the bars 24. Each pair of links .and their cams thus constitutes a toggle whereby each tensioning mechanism I3 is automatically locked in the position to which it is shifted for elevating the bars 23 and 24 and increasing the pressure of the springs 22 against the under side of the mattress-bearing section I I.

The operating crank 3i) comprises a tube with a'recess 36 at one end to fit the pins 34 on the cam shafts 33. An angularly-disposed handle 31 is secured to the opposite end of the tube.

When conditions are more or less normal, and there is no need for increasing the yielding resistance of the transverse medial portion of the mattress-bearing section I I, each coil-spring eenter support I2 would be allowed to occupy its normal untensioned position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The spring-supporting bars 23 and 24 would be disposed in a position approximating the plane of the side rails I4. For such a positioning of the center support I2, the carns 29 would be shifted to the positions shown in Figs. 3 and 5. However, if for any of the reasons hereinbefore indicated it were desired to increase the yielding resistance to a transverse medial 'portion of the mattress-bearing section II the pair of cams at one or both ends of the frame l0 would be rotated so as to bring the cams into the position shown in Figs. 4 and 6. Thereupon the spring-supporting bars 23 and 24 would be elevated to the position shown in Fig. 4. This elevation of the bars 23 and 24 will increase the pressure of the springs 22 against the slats I9 and arch them into a crown as indicated in Fig. 4. Obviously that increases the yielding resistance of the medial portion of the m-attress-bearing-.section II to any weight to which it might be subjected, or it might compensate for any sag or depression formed in the mattress-bearing section II or a mattress which had long been used thereon.

Variations and modifications in the detalls of structure and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to within the spirit and coverage of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a bed of the class described which includes a main frame, a yieldable bed fabric supported upon said frame and an auxiliary resilient support unit positioned beneath said fabric between the ends of said frame, said support unit being shiftable upwardly into reinforcing engagement with said fabric; suspension means for said support unit at each end thereof comprising a transverse shaft journalled on the adjacent frame end, a plurality of spaced-apart eccentrics mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, a plurality of upwardly-extending spaced-apart links disposed longitudinally of said bed, said links being hingedly connected at their lower ends to said support unit, said links being journailed at their upper ends on said eccentrics.

means for rotating said shafts to raise or lower said links thereby to shift said support unit into or out of engagement with said fabric, and means for locking said links in raised position.

2. In a bed of the class described which includes a main frame, a yieldable bed fabric supported upon said frame and an auxiliary resilient support unit positioned beneath said fabric between the ends of said frame, said support unit being shiftable upwardly into reinforcing engagement with said fabric; suspension means for said support unit at each end thereof comprising a transverse shaft journalled on the adjacent frame end, a plurality of spaced-apart eccentrics mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, a plurality of upwardly-extending spaced-apart links disposed longitudinally of said bed, said links being hingedly connected at their lower ends to said support unit, said links being journalled at their upper ends on said eccentrics, means for rotating said shafts to raise or lower said links thereby to shift said support unit into or out. of engagement with said fabric, said links and associated eccentrics at each end of said frame having an unstable over-center position corresponding to the extreme raised position of said links, and an abutment on said main frame engageable by said links adjacent said over-center position on one side thereof to lock said support unit in reinforcing engagement with said fabric.

EDWARD E. WOLLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file or this patent:

UNITED sTATEs PATENTS 

